Refrigerator-do or



(No Model.)

A. J. MGARTHUR.

REFRIGERATOR DOOR.

No. 595,128. Patented Dec. 7, 1897;

INVENTOR WITNESSES C WWW 524V? Z-A By V Min- MW ATTORNEYS.

ANDREIV J. MGARTHUR, OF GAINESVILLE, FLORIDA.

REFRIGERATOR-DOOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 595,128, dated December 7, 1897.

Application filed February 9, 1897. Serial No- 622,620. (No model.)

T at whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, ANDREW J. MOARTHUR, of Gainesville, in the county of Alachua and State of Florida, have invented new and useful Improvements in Refrigerator-Doors, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to doors for refrigerators,and more particularly for refrigeratorcars and cold-storage rooms; and the object is to provide a door so constructed that it may be easily opened and which when closed will form a practically air-tight joint between the door and its casing.

I will describe a refrigerator-door embodying my invention and then point out the novel features in the appended claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views.

Figure 1 is an inside elevation showing the packing devices in an open position. Fig. 2 is an inside elevation showing the packing devices in a closed position. Fig. 3 is a transverse section of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a transverse section of Fig. 2, and Fig. 5 is an outside elevation of a portion of the door.

Referring to the drawings, 1 designates a door-casing, and 2 shows a door hinged to swing therein. Arranged between the door and the jamb of the casing is a packing 3, preferably of tubular rubber. I have here shown the packing 3 as secured within the jamb of the casing; but it is obvious that the packing may be secured around the edge of the door without departing from the spirit of my invention. I prefer to employ a tubular packing, because its interior provides a space for air that will not only form a cushion, but will in a measure preserve the rubber.

The door 2 comprises inner and outer Walls, the space between which forms an air-chamher, or, if desired, this space may be packed with sawdust, charcoal, or similar material. Arranged around the edge of the door at the inner side are L-shaped packing-bars i, 5, 6, and 7. These packing-bars have horizontal portions that extend transversely of the door and portions that extend vertically along the edge of the door. The adjacent ends of the several packing-bars are beveled, and these beveled ends are engaged by the beveled ends of expanding blocks 8, movable between guide-strips 9, secured to the inner side of the door.

Extended through the door 2 is a shaft 10, to the outer end of which is attached a depending bar consisting of two hinged sections 11 and 12. The section 12 is provided with a slot-opening to engage over a staple 13 on the door and with which a locking device may be engaged. By turning the section 12 outward it provides a handle by means of which the shaft may be rotated. The inner end of the shaft 10 is provided with a segmentgear 14, meshing with a segment-gear 15, mounted to rotate on a lug extended from the inner side of the door. Links 16 have pivotal engagement with the segment-gear and pivotal engagement with the expanding blocks 8. From the two horizontal blocks 8 links 17 extend to pivotal engagement with the packing-bars 4, 5, 6, and 7 and from the pivotal engagement of these links 17 other links 18 extend to pivotal engagement with the inner ends of the upper and lower expanding blocks. From the corners of the packingbars links 19 extend to pivotal engagement with the upper and lower expanding blocks near their outer ends. Secured to the outer edges of the packing-bars are packing-strips 20, consisting, preferably, of tubular rubber, and the ends of the expanding bars are each provided with a rubber packing-piece 21.

Then the several parts are in the position shown in Fig. 1, there will be no packing effect between the door and its casing. Therefore the door may be easily opened. \Vhen, however, it is desired to use the door, the segment-gear 15 is to be rotated by means of the shaft 10 and the segment-gear 14;, and this by swinging the several links 16 outward will move the expanding blocks longitudinally, and this movement of the blocks 8 will of course force the packingbars radially outward or toward the corners of the casing, and thus the packing 20 will be forced tightly against the casing and the parts may be held in this position by engaging the section 12 of the handle-bar with the staple 13.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. In a refrigerator, a door-casing, a door mounted therein, packing-bars on the door having horizontal portions and vertical portions, means for forcing the bars radially outward, and a packing between the bars and easing, substantially as specified.

2. In a refrigerator, a door-casing, a door mounted to swing therein, a packing between the jamb of the casing and the door, packing-bars on the inner side of the door, the said packing-bars having horizontal portions and vertical portions, packing carried by the packing-bars, and means for forcing said packing-bars radially outward, substantially as specified.

bars mounted to move radially on the inner side of the door, packing material carried by said bars, sliding blocks having beveled portions to engage the beveled ends of the packing-bars, a rotary gear on the inner side of the door, links extended from said rotary gear to the several blocks, and links having pivotal connection with the blocks and with the packing-bars, substantially as specified.

5. In a refrigerator, a door-casing, a door mounted to swing therein, a shaft extended through the door, a handle on the outer end of said shaft, a gear on the inner end of said shaft, a gear mounted to rotate on the inner side of the door and meshing with the firstnamed gear, L-shaped packing-bars on the inner side of the door, packing material carried by said bars, expanding blocks mounted to slide on the inner side of the door and having beveled surfaces'to engage the beveled ends of the packing-bars, links extended from the last-named gear to the expanding blocks, and links extended from the expanding blocks to the packing-bars, substantially as specified.

ANDREWV J. MCART'HUR. WVitnesses:

J. A. AMMONS, XV. W'. HAMPTON. 

